Her Reflection in the Mirror
by chromate
Summary: Anna would always be the only one he had ever loved with all his heart. And he knew that if he lived like himself again, somehow, somewhere, his fiancée would smile for him...a YohXAnna one-shot.


It's the first Yoh/Anna-death fic that I work on, basically consists of Yoh's feeling over Anna's death. In this story they're both seventeen years old. Hope you enjoy the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King

Her Reflection in the Mirror

The weather was terrible. The sky had been raining for days and it showed no signs to stop. Traffic accidents happened more frequently on wet roads and people grew more furious over little things in their lives. It's like their mood was too easily affected by mother nature.

As a shaman, Yoh appreciated much of different kinds of weather. He loved the nature, and human had no control over it, so why not let it be? No matter it's a sunny day or a rainy day, it would still be an ordinary day.

So on this day, his schedule did not change. He did his push-ups and sit-ups in the morning before attending school. After boring lectures he spent some time in the park, where he lay on the grass and thought about anything or stared blankly at everything. He then proceeded to the grocery store to buy the necessity for dinner, and then he returned to the Inn and prepared for his meal. He really put a lot of effort in it to try to earn a single simple compliment from his fiancée, but never succeeded.

His fiancée…the arranged wife-to-be by his grandmother. Their relationship always seemed a mystery to everyone. No one understood how he could have stood her temper and hellish training. She had slapped him every lesson at school to wake him up. She had been the devil to everyone. Her sarcastic comments had become her trademark. She never complimented a single thing Yoh did in front of anyone.

But of course, they did not understand her. They did not know her the way he did. They knew not of what they had gone through together and her past. They never would understand.

After finishing the food, he quickly washed the dishes and soon, entered her room.

It had become a routine for him to go into her room to look at everything inside. He had kept everything the same ever since she left. It had already been a month since she last stepped into this room.

And Yoh wanted to cry at the thought. No matter how strong as a shaman he was, he could do nothing against sickness.

One month ago, Kyoyana Anna died.

As far as he could understand, she had been diagnosed with a weak heart around four months ago, and she was told she would not live a long life, as the problem was not fixable, regardless of any type of medicine doctors could use. He knew not of any medical terms Faust mentioned later on, and all he knew was that she's dying.

Needless to say, she was shocked, but then she wanted to hide it from Yoh. She loved him so much that it hurt to see him everyday while knowing every second they met could be her last moment on earth. She had visited Kino and asked for her permission to break the engagement.

_-Flashback-_

'_No.'_

_Anna couldn't believe her ears. 'I beg your pardon.' She demanded._

'_My answer is 'no', Anna.' Keiko, who sat besides Kino, spoke and tried to continue, but was interrupted by the younger itako._

'_You both know I won't live long.' _

'_As a matter of fact, we do.' Kino answered emotionlessly, and took a sip of her tea._

'_Then why do you not just end the engagement? I'm sure Yoh will gladly accept the offer.'_

'_He won't.' Keiko frowned. How stubborn was her daughter-in-law.._

'_Why won't he? He hated me.'_

'_Says who?' Kino finally spoke up. 'We all know that, Kino-sensei.' Anna replied politely. 'Yoh has become Shaman King. My duty is fulfilled. What's the point of staying together anymore, when we're bonded by this loveless marriage?'_

'_Anna,' Keiko started, 'answer this question honestly. Do you love Yoh?'_

'_Yes I do.' She answered firmly. 'That's why I want to end this._

'_I hate to see his face while knowing I might not be able to see it the next minute…'_

'_And have you ever considered Yoh's feeling towards this?' _

_Keiko's question startled Anna. Yoh…Yoh would probably jump for joy that his torturer would be gone for good and he would hold a huge party, inviting every single person in town to join, then he would meet some pretty girl and make her his girlfriend and they'd get married and had lots of kids. They would share a happy life. _

_Anna burned with much jealousy just at the thought. Yet, she realized, after she died, she would have no control over Yoh anymore. Why would he care for a person who did not seem to care for him? _

'_Yoh's feeling is apparent. He does not want me here.'_

'_Does he?'She knew the voice too well. _

_Her head immediately jerked at her back, and her eyes widened._

_Right there stood Yoh, looking at her, hurt._

_-End of Flashback-_

He laughed at the memory bitterly. As far as he could recall, that was one of the rare moments Anna was completely taken aback. She indeed was a stubborn girl. Had he not followed her silently throughout her train journey to Izumo, he probably would have never figured out about her illness.

And hell, he did not want her? He didn't know whether he should laugh at her stupidity or sob at her ignorance. He loved her with all his heart. He intended to wait for the correct timing to confess his love, but well, who knew life was so cruel?

It was strange though. After that incident they became inseparable. It was as if nothing had happened at all. They were so close that their status chilled even Ren and Hao. Whenever Yoh was around, Anna would be there. The only exception was during his training and grocery-buying section, but Yoh had made Amidamaru stayed with Anna, instead of following his master. The blonde had opposed the idea, claiming she did not need a babysitter.

'_If anything happens to you, I want to know, so that I can be by your side and help you.'_ And this phrase silenced her immediately, knowing that his intention was for the good of hers. She made no more complaints afterwards.

Yoh smiled. As far as he could remember, he was the only one ever being able to shut her up. The memories of her flashed in his mind every minute.

His family and shaman friends were at her funeral, all expressing their deepest sympathy. Most of them did now know the blonde well, but they never hated her. They were also worried of Yoh's mental condition. Apparently to everyone, Yoh had not spoken to anyone normally ever since Anna died. All he gave in response were a nod, a shock of head, a 'yes' or a 'no'. Not even Mikihisa or Keiko, his parents, were able to undo the tie in his heart. He isolated himself from others. The old optimistic, always smiling Asakura Yoh was gone, replaced by a stony and emotionless expression that reminded everyone of the one and only Kyoyama Anna, who stole Yoh's heart with her.

Something in the room caught Yoh's eyes. It was Anna's mirror. He remembered that it was her favourite ornament. He had once not cleaned it carefully and left some soap spots on it, resulting in Anna yelling at him for a whole fifteen minutes, cursing every body part of him.

He reached out his hand to touch the mirror. He imagined her getting up in the morning and changed into her school uniform, tidying herself up in front of the mirror, smirking at how pretty and attractive she looked. Wait, he chuckled, Anna would not do that. She would simply get dressed and then wake him up to cook her breakfast, with occasional yelling.

Anna…the more he thought about her, he missed her more. He had heard others telling him to let go, that Anna would not have wanted to see him in this state.

Idiots, he thought. Who were they to tell him how to feel? His love was gone. His heart was gone. Life was pointless and would not change his attitude.

As he could never find another Anna that he truly, deeply loved.

He imagined seeing her smile, the rare smile of hers. She smiled when he confessed that he loved her, and every night when they snuggled close to each other, murmuring soft words into other's ears. He truly treasured the smiles he had longed to see, and would not be able to see anymore.

He looked at his reflection in the mirror. He looked pale, miserable and lifeless. These had all not been the correct word to describe him months ago. Now he was just soulless. He did not care about his status anymore. He ate when his friends begged him to and he attended school just to pass time. During lessons, he would stare at Anna's empty seat and blankly started recalling her image again. Even the teachers could do nothing against his abnormal behaviour.

Slowly, his eyes blurred, and tears started to form. Unmentioned to anyone, he cried every night ever since the funeral. He could not bear the feeling of losing her and knowing that he was helpless in saving her.

And he could never forgive himself for that.

His vision clouded. He used his right hand to wipe away the tears struggling to fall down his cheeks. When he opened his eyes again, he saw his hair became blonde and grew longer, his face thinner and his skin milkier. His body seemed less muscular, and his clothes turned black.

His eyes widened in tremendous shock.

He saw Anna, looking back at him in the mirror, smiling, as if she was his own reflection in the mirror.

He couldn't believe his eyes.

He did not see himself on the plane surface, but his fiancée.

He looked around his back. No one. He focused back on her favourite mirror. He just stared at it for a whole minute and did not mutter a word. She frowned.

'Is this the way to greet your fiancée?'

He gasped. He was not hallucinating. It was her voice. Her tone of speaking.

'How is this possible..., you're…you're…'

She smiled bitterly. She knew what he's going to say, and he was right. She was dead.

She had died right in front of him.

_-Flashback-_

'_That would be a total of three thousand and fifty two yens, please.' the cashier stated, waiting for the blonde to pay._

_Anna reached for her purse and handed him the money, while taking the three bags full of groceries and left the store._

_She sighed. Just three damn bags she already felt tired. Her body was getting weaker and she knew it. She would usually just send Yoh to do the buying, but today was different._

_Today was his birthday, and she wanted to cook his favourite meal for him. This was a task that not even Manta, Tamao, Ryu or anyone else could have accomplished. She had to be the one to choose the necessary materials, for she knew which kind he liked and which he did not. _

_She had chained Amidamaru with Yoh today. For what reasons she did not inform him, but Amidamaru knew. The samurai ghost decided if would be best if he did not argue with his mistress and convinced Yoh to do his training. Yoh reluctantly agreed, but urged her to stay at home or with anyone he trusted. _

_Anna smirked. Yoh trusted everyone, and staying at home would not be an option for her. He was too oblivious to forget his own birthday. Stupid, but cute though._

_She spotted the Inn at the end of the street. Now she only had to cross the bridge over the river, then she could prepare her surprise for him._

_Suddenly, she felt her heart ached strongly. Her hands let go of the bags she had been carrying and clutched her chest, breathing hard. Not now, she thought. She was just a few damn metres away. She wanted to see Yoh's surprised yet appreciative look when she finished cooking dinner with his favourite dishes. _

_But now, the blonde felt powerless. It was as if she had lost all her body strength and she fell on her knees, ignoring the curious looks on people's faces around her. The pain was unbearable. _

_Not now…please…not now…_

'_Anna…' she heard a whisper, and her head slowly moved up so that her eyes could meet the whisperer._

'_ANNA!' Yoh shouted, dashing to her side, holding her in his arm. She could see the sweats all over his body. He might have finished her newly updated training schedule. She forced a weak smile, then fell unconscious on his arms._

'_ANNA! Please don't scare me like this…wake up Anna…ANNA!'_

_-Flashback-_

'_I'm sorry Yoh-kun.' Faust was miserable. He knew the truth, and he felt painful to see one of his friends to pass away, but it was even harder to tell her fiancé about this._

_Yoh stared at him blankly and gulped. He waited for Faust to laugh and Anna to come out of the room and say that everything's just a joke, to test his faith or something like that._

_That never came._

'_Anna-san was dead before she was sent into the hospital.'_

_Yoh found everything twisted. Faust's phrase repeated in his mind and his vision blanked. He heard his friends trying their best to comfort him, but he ignored them. To him, he's dead._

_-End of Flashback-_

The atmosphere turned silent again. Yoh could no longer hear the noisy TV sounds from neighbouring households nor voices of married couple yelling at each other. It was as if the world stopped just for them, only for them to share this moment of peace.

'You look terrible.' Anna scowled. Sure, he had completed each day's training schedule, but he seldom ate. He could not find his appetite anymore. He had become much thinner and his face mostly paled.

Yoh was simply speechless. He had many dreams of them being together ever since she passed away, but this time, it seemed so…real. It was like Anna was just standing behind the mirror.

He reached out his hand and touched the plane surface. His fiancée did the same, and the moment their fingertips met, Yoh knew that this was the sweetest dream ever. He could feel her delicate skin on his, gently touching each other.

Yes, this was Anna. Definitely.

'I miss you…' he mumbled, tears started to roll down his cheeks.

'Don't cry, Yoh…' she whispered.

'I never feel the same ever since you left…' he started to sob intensely, letting his uncontrollable emotions flowed.

She looked at him, worried. Yoh could feel her hand squeezing his, and he suddenly felt the warmth he had longed for.

'You should not let me to become a burden of your life. You need to look forward.'

Yoh nearly gasped. 'Anna, I don't want to move on…'

'All I'm asking,' she smiled, 'is to be yourself again.'

'To be…myself?' Yoh was dumbfounded. 'It's impossible to do so, Anna.

'I can't live like myself without you.'

'Sure you can.' Her tone stern as usual, yet she did not lose any tenderness.

'This was my last favour to ask of you, Yoh. Don't lose yourself.'

'But…Anna…I can't.' He moaned. 'Life is totally different without you. I cannot find my goal in life, I do not know who I work so hard for, I do not know what to do…my life is never the same without you.'

'I've never left you, Yoh.' She put a hand on her chest. 'I'm always in here, no matter what.'

'But I…' He found himself speechless again. He wanted to rebut her so much, but his words just seemed to stuck in his throat and he could not let them voiced out.

'Remember this?' Anna raised her left hand to his eyesight, revealing the ring on her ring finger. 'You gave this to me soon after Kino-sensei rejected my offer of breaking the engagement.'

'The Asakura clan ring…' he muttered. She nodded.

'Look at your left hand, Yoh.'

His left hand broke contact with her right, and Yoh slowly moved it towards his eyes. He spotted also the family ring on his ring finger.

'The bond between us…has been set. It will never break apart.'

'_The bond between us…has been set. It will never break apart.' Yoh grinned at Anna. She frowned._

'_Sooner or later this ring will have to be given to another woman who's suitable of taking care of you for the rest of your life.' She bit her lips, trying not to sound jealous and sorrowful._

'_Don't say that.' _

'_You out of all people should know better.' She bit her lips again and turned away from him. 'I'm dying.'_

_What she did not expect was that Yoh pulled her into a tight embrace from the back and kissed her neck lightly._

'_You,' he pointed, 'are Asakura Anna. My wife. My soul mate. And you will always be the one and only in my heart.' _

_Stunned, she just looked at him. Her mouth soon formed a remarkably beautiful curve, and they kissed each other passionately, without a care of the world._

Yoh stared at her, his tears dried.

'You're the only reason I lived on,' she stated, 'and I need you to do that also. Live your life, don't waste it.

'You have your friends and family who care deeply for you. Don't push them away.'

'But still…life's not the same without you…' Yoh started to regain his composure. His voice seemed calmer.

'What have I told you? I've never left you. Did I ever lie to you before?'

The brunette shook his head slowly.

'Then trust me.' She smirked. 'Everything's gonna be alright.'

'Everything's gonna…be alright.' He repeated, and slowly began to smile truly, something he had not done for a long time.

'That's my Yoh.' She smiled in return, and their fingertips met again.

They just kept looking at each other for how long Yoh had no idea. Then gradually, light started to shine from Anna's back, and her expression saddened.

'It's time for me to go now.'

Yoh gazed at her. And he nodded, despite how unwilling he felt for this moment to come. He knew that everything would eventually had an end, and this was a sign for his happy ending.

The light glowed and Yoh found it difficult to study clearly the outline of her face. However her beauty did not fade. She was just like an angel. She opened her mouth to speak, but Yoh could not hear exactly what she said. He could, however, read her lips.

'I love you always, Asakura Yoh.'

Despite the strong light that forced him to nearly close his eyes completely, he still managed to take one final glimpse of her face, memorizing each single detail of her, and whispered back at her.

'I love you, Asakura Anna.'

* * *

'Yoh, wake up.'

He opened his eyes, and was met with a pair of chocolate eyes similar to his.

'Seriously, I know you miss my dear sister-in-law, but you don't have to sleep on her mirror, do you?' Hao sneered. The minute he woke up, he already realized his twin brother had not been in their room for the night. He looked around the Inn and without surprise, found him in her room. It was the sight that amazed him though. Yoh was not sleeping on Anna's bed, as he did sometimes after her death; instead, the mirror that usually stood proudly next to her bed lied on floor, with a boy sleeping soundly on it.

'Please, I beg you Yoh. I'm also sad that Anna's gone, but you don't have to act this way. It's not doing you any good.' Hao started mumbling to himself, went on complaining Yoh's attitude.

'I'm fine, onee-chan.' Yoh spoke for the first time since Hao entered the room.

'And sure you'll say you're...' Hao paused, 'wait, did you just talk to me?'

Yoh did not answer. He looked at the promised ring on his finger, and started to think back the encounter he just had had before.

He smiled.

'Com'on, we're going to be late for school.' He said cheerfully, leaving a thoroughly confused Asakura Hao standing on his position, his jaws nearly touching the floor.

'Amidamaru,' he called upon the guardian spirit, 'was that Yoh, or was I just hallucinating? Was that my brother who had only spoken "yes" or "no" and nothing else for the past month?'

'I believe so, Hao-sama.' The purple-haired samurai replied. 'I cannot believe myself either.'

Hao shook his head. His brother was always full of surprises.

It amazed everyone that the old cheerful Yoh was back. Everyone in class was glad to have the optimistic boy returning to his position. His shaman friends were stunned as well, but only silently concluded that he finally got over Anna.

But they were all wrong. No, he was not over her. Yoh took out a picture of Anna and him from his pocket. It was taken after the shaman's confession to his queen. They both looked great in it. Even Anna was smiling with a blush when Yoh's arm wrapped around her shoulder.

Anna would always be the only one he had ever loved with all his heart. And he knew that if he lived like himself again, somehow, somewhere, his fiancée would smile for him.

-The End-

* * *

I spent around one week writing this one-shot, and I believe it's worth the time.

And also, it is totally up to you to decide what/who Yoh really saw. It could be a dream, or his own hallucination, or that it was really Anna appearing and talking to him, despite working against all laws of physics. I prefer the third suggestion most, and you?

Please review and let me know what you think/where to improve/your compliments/your complaints. All are welcome.


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